Is This a Space Prom?

So, a few people have asked me, "Is it just a space themed prom?" and "Why is this year's prom called The Trek?"  For several years, we have been taking prom goers on a journey, a quest, an adventure, etc. - going somewhere out of this world for their amazing prom experience.  This year, after reviewing the student surveys taken after the 2016 Prom, we realized that there was a lot of excitement regarding different fandoms, like Star Trek and Star Wars, but also Marvel comics, DC comics, various TV shows and movies (including some Disney movies and Doctor Who).

So, we picked a couple of handfuls of the most popular requests and combined them into this incredible event that needed a title, a name, some moniker that represented an "out of this world" experience.

Here are some of the themes we have had over the past few years:


2012 - The Kingdom - a Medieval adventure through the King's court and beyond, including posing with friends and real swords around the Round Table, being locked in the stocks or the dungeon, and playing games in the Arena

2013 - The Quest - an Indiana Jones type quest through archeological digs and early- to mid-20th century culture, including getting to sit on a motorbike with a sidecar, digging for gold in Egypt, and riding in a raft down the waterfall

2014 - The Journey - a tour through some amazing stories and literature including Lord of The Rings, Alice in Wonderland, Frankenstein, Sherlock Holmes, and many others, featuring our steampunk ballroom fashioned after 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea

2015 - The Chronicles - our tribute to Narnia, including entering through the wardrobe while it snowed overhead, sitting at Aslan's table, meeting the kings and queens of Narnia, encountering the White Witch, and dining in the winter ballroom

 

2016 - L'Aventure - The Adventure through Paris near the turn of the 19th to 20th century around the time of the World's Fair for which the Eiffel Tower was built - highlights included touring down the Champs Elysees and buying macaroons, coffee and ice cream, artists in the park, and our Eiffel Tower stage in the ballroom with the light show coordinated to the music

So, for this year, we wanted to remain true to our vision of creating a once-in-a-lifetime experience for our home school students.  Several names were considered but "The Trek" seemed to fit with our history, while moving us into a new future, complete with a new location, new city, and trying some things we have never tried before.  Let's look at what is the same and what is new.


***You'll find all that you have loved about previous proms - including the bottled Dr Peppers, a live band playing before and during dinner, DJ music after dinner, the swing dance contest, activities and photo ops galore with costumed characters, professional photography packages, late night dessert, and so much more!


***You'll also find some new things - like the option to take your professional photos in the afternoon BEFORE prom opens, charging stations for your phones (which we actually introduced last year), 8 separate restrooms, a prom App for your smart phones so you can interactively participate in some of the prom games and make sure you don't miss any of the fun events throughout the night, and lots of nearby places for your post-prom breakfast fun with friends!

Not to spoil all the surprises, but we want you to know that in addition to what is listed above, we will have three hallways of activities for you.

• Fantasy Hall with characters and scenes from both Marvel and DC comics, video games, and movies
• Disney Hall with the Pirates of the Caribbean and a marketplace, Mulan and a tea room, a Tangled (Rapunzel) scene, and more
• Galaxy Hall with some sights including Guardians of the Galaxy, Star Wars, & Star Trek.  

Just listing a little bit of the fun here so you can build some anticipation without knowing everything you will find!

To answer your question, not exactly a "Space Prom" but something much bigger & more creative than you can even imagine!

We have made some extra space for more friends to attend, so if you don't have your tickets yet, they will remain on sale until the end of January unless we sell out before then.

Go to our website, make your family account, and get your tickets now! 
See you on March 11, 2017!

Formal Wear vs Cosplay - a Prom Etiquette Conversation

We are excited about the theme this year, and based on the feedback we are getting, we know you are too!

This is Captain America.
He is not dressed appropriately for prom.

We have had a few questions about coming in costume. We love that you are enthusiastic about the theme, and while we love your creativity, we want to emphasize that prom is not a cosplay.  It is a formal event, and your attire must be formal and within the dress code. Superhero uniforms and costumes are not formal attire. However, if you choose to embellish your attire in a way that does not distract from the formal nature of prom, we will not object. If you come dressed as Wonder Woman or Captain America, expect to be asked to change your outfit before you are permitted into prom! Also, please refrain from face paint and/or masks. 

This is the new Wonder Woman Barbie Doll.
She is not dressed appropriately for prom.

Those of you who have been around for a while know that we are serious about our dress code.  We strive to provide an amazing, memorable night in a formal, wholesome environment.  We encourage you to read the dress code thoroughly prior to acquiring your prom attire. There are some changes this year, and some things are staying the same. Some highlights are listed below.

Chris Hemsworth demonstrates a coordinating formal tux
(as opposed to matching colors of tux jacket and slacks).
His attire is acceptable for prom.

Gentlemen:       
•    You may now wear coordinating jacket and pants. They no longer must be an exact fabric match, but they must coordinate. An example would be a dark suit jacket with a tasteful pattern and a pair of coordinating trousers.
•    You need to make sure you are still wearing formal wear, as opposed to khakis and a sport coat.
•    Neckwear is required for young men.  












Ladies

Selena Gomez models a formal gown. 
Her attire is acceptable for prom.

•    Please be attentive to the neckline and length of your dress.  If you are in doubt, go ahead and make those alterations prior to your big night.
•    Two piece dresses can only be worn if your midriff does not show when your arms are raised above your head.
•    If you arrive at prom and your neckline is too low, your length/slit is too high, your dress is see-through, or it has cut outs in inappropriate places, you will be offered alterations by our amazing team of seamstresses. We certainly want everyone to enjoy this amazing night, but you may also choose to leave prom. The choice is ultimately yours.

Thank you so much for abiding by our code of conduct and dress code!  We appreciate you all so much and look forward to a night of memories and fun for everyone!



Blog Content by Vicki Sword

Parent Meetings - East and West DFW

Here we are - entering another school year and planning another prom - best in the world, hands down!

Each year, before we open ticket sales, we offer an opportunity for parents to connect, ask questions, find out how they can get more involved or get assigned to specific tasks, and find out everything TxCHP has to offer!  We will have TWO parent meetings this fall - they will cover the same general information and are not mandatory.  That being said, if you have questions or want to meet the director over the area where you are interested in serving for your parent participation credit, it's a lot easier to do that in person at one of these two parent meetings.  The directors are regular homeschool moms and plan prom in the midst of all of their own family craziness, so answering a few dozen less emails sounds very appealing to us!

These parent meetings serve two purposes - to help new families sending students to prom for the first time find out more about prom and to connect new and returning families with the director responsible for their desired prom tasks.  We are ALWAYS looking for new leadership, as veteran leaders graduate their last homeschool student.  We are also looking toward the future to prepare new Board Members to serve.  So if any of that sounds exciting to you, we hope you'll be at one of these meetings.

If you want to come to one of the parent meetings, please RSVP to promparents@TxCHP.com to let us know you'll be attending. Include in your RSVP: First and Last Name of each person attending, contact email, mobile phone number and which meeting date you're planning to attend.

Tuesday, October 18 - Parent Meeting east - 7:00pm

Preston Highlands Baptist Church, 17463 Davenport Road, Dallas TX 75252

Tuesday, November 1 - Parent Meeting west - 7:00pm
Compass Center, 201 Pool Rd, Grapevine, TX 76051

At each parent meeting, you'll be introduced to all 7 of the Directors of Texas Christian Homeschool Prom, learn about this non-profit organization, ask general questions of the board about prom, hear about the variety of ways you can meet the Parent Participation Requirement (including advance jobs, prom weekend jobs, and Night of Prom jobs), speak with the director over the area where you wish to serve, and maybe make a few new friends!

The prom website goes live on October 10, so go ahead and get your family registered, add your students to your family account, and update your job interests, and agree to the prom policies.  Then start getting excited about The Trek by attending a Parent Meeting and marking your calendar for November 11 when tickets go on sale!  We are boldly going where no prom has gone before!!!  And you can be part of the fun!

Author - Sunny Lerch

Student ACTION Team

As you start your co-op classes, dual credit classes, home school classes, sports, lessons, etc., be sure to share the latest news with your home schooled friends.  With so many changes happening this year, your friends need you to spread the word.  From all of us at TxCHP, have a great school year!

You know, as home schoolers, you may not have a typical school experience with a normal prom, a student council, and cafeteria lunches.  While we do have a fantastic prom (I can't bring myself to call it normal!) and a super student ACTION team, we're not really looking to do anything about all those cafeteria lunches you haven't experienced.  You're welcome!  ;)

So, it looks like we have more than taken care of providing a prom experience that more than rivals anything a public school ever thought about having.  And a couple of years ago, we started a Student ACTION Team to engage promgoers in helping to produce parts of the prom experience.  The primary areas of influence for ACTION team members is with the music selection, tshirt design, greeting new promgoers at the dance lessons, designing the photo booth for prom night, and senior team members participate in the food tasting event with a few other seniors to select the prom dinner.  To participate, students must submit an application, supply references, and commit to attending a minimum of 3 (out of 4) of the ACTION Team meetings.

Student ACTION stands for Student Advisory Committee To Invest in Our Night.  Students who are selected to serve realize that being part of this team is an investment of their time and energy, but also an opportunity to work alongside our volunteer parents during the event planning stages and learn some of the keys of creating and executing this amazing event.

Applications are being accepted through September 20.  Write to PromParents@txchp.com for an application.

Author - Sunny Lerch

Welcome to My Neighborhood

 
So, now that you’ve heard that prom has moved from downtown Dallas up to Frisco, I thought you might like to know a little more about the area. There’s lots to see and do in Frisco!  


How will you get here? The prom hotel and prom location – Embassy Suites / Frisco Convention Center – are just a couple of blocks north of TX-121 at Parkwood – one intersection east of the Dallas North Tollway. As always, students may arrive in a variety of ways. Some drive themselves (we have great parking this year!), some are driven by a parent or a group of friends, and others may wish to reserve a limousine for this excursion. All are completely fine! It’s YOUR prom, so plan it YOUR way!  


As usual, TxCHP has secured a block of rooms in the hotel. This helps to offset the cost of prom, as well as provide a central location for families to gather, have a safe place to stay and make a weekend of this highlight of the spring season for home-educating families. You'll be pleased to know that the hotel has given us some can't-be-beat pricing, so order your room with our block at the same time you buy your prom pass.  


If you’re coming from outside the area or just enjoying the weekend here, Frisco is sports central! Home of the FC Dallas (soccer) team, FriscoRoughRiders (minor league baseball team in the Texas Rangers organization), and the Texas Legends (a minor league affiliate of the Dallas Mavericks). Oh, and a little ol’ football team called the Dallas Cowboys is almost finished building their incredible training facility here, and that means things are BOOMING! There is always something fun to see and do for the sports fan in your group! Even local club teams can be found all over the city playing baseball, lacrosse, volleyball, soccer, softball, and even ice skating, swim tournaments, and more!  


Not a sports fan? Lots of family-style entertainment options are within a short drive of the prom hotel. For bowling/laser tag/gaming fun – the newest spot is PinStack, just south of Frisco on the Dallas North Tollway in Plano. Main Event Entertainment and Strikz are also both great fun and within a couple of miles of the hotel. If you’d rather ice skate, the DrPepper Star Center in McKinney has public skating times – it’s about 6 miles from where prom is happening. More of a movie buff? You’ll find over 100 screens within a 12-minute drive! 24 screens at Stonebriar Mall at the AMC and 12 more screens at Cinemark Frisco Square. Prefer live theatre? Several of those in the area with local adult and student groups performing. Oh – did I forget to say you could go indoor skydiving? Sorry about that – you’ll definitely want to try iFly Frisco!
 

Restaurants and shopping abound! You’ll be within walking distance of the Stonebriar Mall and IKEA and several other shopping centers, and only a short drive from Nebraska Furniture Mart. You’re probably saying, “Who cares about that?” but trust me, if you haven’t seen it, it’s worth the drive! If you’re hungry during the weekend, besides the FREE made to order breakfast at the prom hotel (for those who are staying there), you’ll be delighted to know that there are dozens of local chain and specialty restaurants nearby. Friday, you can have Tex-Mex for dinner, have lunch on Saturday at a bistro or sandwich shop, dinner at prom (prepare to be amazed!), and a late night breakfast after prom at such local favorites as IHOP and Steak and Shake. (Also – if you’re driving home after prom, there are several IHOP restaurants in every direction.) 


Sunday morning, you and your family can enjoy a family meal at Babe’s Chicken Dinner House, the famous La Hacienda Ranch (melt-in-your-mouth fajitas!), Gloria’s (Latin-American brunch), or such family favorites as Olive Garden, Red Lobster, or Chili’s. If you can imagine it, you can find it in or near Frisco!  


For those driving in just in time for prom, you’ll be thrilled to find out that there is an abundance of parking at the Frisco Convention Center, and it is all cheaper (or freer!) than the parking downtown was. Covered parking garage at the hotel, valet parking at the hotel, and very short walking distance parking across Parkwood from the hotel.  


Moms and Dads – yeah, I didn’t forget you! If you’re just “hanging out” during prom waiting for pickup time, there are all these things to do and more! You might enjoy a romantic evening at Frisco Square, walking and trying one of the dozen or so restaurants and dessert shops. If you’re like me, you might want to run to Target for a thing or two! (lol) Or try a handcrafted pizza or beverage – there are several places like that nearby. If a nice dinner with your spouse is in order, some of my favorite local special occasion restaurants are Perry’s (walking distance), Silver Fox or Giordano’s (both a short drive over to Legacy and 121 area), and Bob’s Steak & Chop House, Seasons 52 or The Capital Grille are all at The Shops at Legacy in nearby Plano, just off the Dallas North Tollway and Legacy. You can have a lovely leisurely evening and still be back in plenty of time to pick up your students.  


All in all – we are EXPECTING you to come to Frisco and have a FABULOUS experience! Frisco has attracted some of the best dining, shopping, sports and entertainment – and YOU get the benefit! So, I’ll say it again – WELCOME TO FRISCO!

 


(Texas Christian Homeschool Prom is not being compensated in any way for links provided in this blog post. They are provided for your convenience only and are correct as of the date of this original post.) 

Author - Sunny Lerch

A New Hope!

“The Trek – Boldly Going Where No Prom Has Gone Before . . .

It is a time of great change. 

A search spanning the known universe was underway for a new prom venue. The sinister Murphy's Law was everywhere, repeatedly attacking the best laid plans. Dates for an April prom disappeared. Search parties were dispatched without success.

With the support of TxCHP allies and the Catering Department at the Embassy Suites in Frisco, a new prom base and date are procured! Peace and justice are restored in the galaxy.

The beautiful Frisco Convention Center, conveniently located just a block off Sam Rayburn Tollway and across the street from Stonebriar Mall, is the new home of the 2017 Texas Christian Homeschool Prom to be held on Saturday, March 11, 2017....”   - from the TxCHP Newsletter dated July 15, 2016:

So, how does this announcement affect you, the promgoer (or prom family member)?  Several ways:

: Chart a Course :::  Early prom means EARLY PROM TICKET SALES – not in January, like you may have grown accustomed to having, but early NOVEMBER.  So mark your calendars and let all of your friends know now.  We don’t want anybody to miss out, but we have to back up the timetable to get everything done in time for this amazing prom at this amazing new prom venue.

: Warp Speed :::  Early prom ticket sales means early prom website registration period.  We will go live with our new theme website in October.  Watch our facebook page and this blog site for all the news you need to know about getting registered and making your prom purchases.

: Captain's Log :::  Moms and Dads – we need some people who are excited about prom to consider stepping into some of the newly vacated leadership openings.  If you want to learn more, email PromParents@TxCHP.com to find out ways you can serve through leadership.

: The Prime Directive ::: New Location means LOTS of changes to the way things have been done in the past.  So, loosely hang onto all the prom details you knew if you have gone to this prom before.  It will still be the most amazing night of the year – but with new places to line up, new ways to fulfill your purchases, a whole new website, and lots of other super spectacular stuff, you’ll want to stay tuned to the TxCHP website, this blog, and our Facebook group for videos, articles, tips / ideas, and newsletters to get all the news you need to know!

Author - Sunny Lerch